Snow in the Passes and Eastern Slopes of the Cascades

 I have received several inquiries about snow in the Cascade passes from folks who will be traveling over Thanksgiving, and for others looking for some snowy recreation this week.

So let's take a look at the latest forecasts.   

A weather system is off our coast right now and has our name on it.  It will move in on Tuesday afternoon, with precipitation into Wednesday.

The UW ultra-high resolution model predictions of snowfall totals through 1 PM on Wednesday (below) show up to about a foot in the Cascades, with about half that amount in the passes. 

Much more snow on the eastern slopes of the Cascades than to the west.  Substantial snows on the southwest side of the Olympics as well.

But this is just the beginning:  more snow will come in on late Thursday and Friday over the north Cascades (see total through 4 PM Saturday below).

There is some uncertainty in the forecasts...let me illustrate. 

 A powerful tool used by meteorologists is ensemble forecasting....running our forecast models many times with slight differences in initial conditions or physics (e.g., precipitation processes).

Below is the ensemble prediction of snow at Stampede Pass at 4000 ft on the eastern side of the Cascade crest.    

The mean forecast is for about 6 inches, with a range of 4 to 12 inches.   Snoqualmie will get less...perhaps 2-4 inches.  So, not the end of the world, as predicted by a few online sites.

Not enough snow for downhill skiing, but plenty for snowballs and perhaps snowshoeing.    The landscape will look pretty.

Enjoy.  And please drive carefully when crossing the Cascades.